1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to printers having ink jet heads and more particularly to those including means for detecting whether an orifice of the head has become obstructed and is therefore inoperative.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ink jet printers are available for printing characters and graphics in a matrix configuration. These printers use a head having either a single orifice or multiple orifices for printing in either color or black and white.
One type of these printers operates on a "drop on demand" principle while another type ejects a continuous stream of electrically charged droplets which are deflected by an electrical field.
A limitation of these printers is that an orifice can clog or otherwise become obstructed. Usually these printers are unattended during operation. Therefore, several pages of defective printing can be produced before a clogged orifice is detected.
The foregoing illustrates limitations of the known prior art. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations as set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.